[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 128, 113th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 9134--MAY 30, 2014

Proclamation 9134 of May 30, 2014

African-American Music Appreciation Month, 2014

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Our country is home to a proud legacy of African-American musicians
whose songs transcend genre. They make us move, make us think, and make
us feel the full range of emotion--from the pain of isolation to the
power of human connection. During African-American Music Appreciation
Month, we celebrate artists whose works both tell and shape our Nation's
story.
For centuries, African-American music has lifted the voices of those
whose poetry is born from struggle. As generations of slaves toiled in
the most brutal of conditions, they joined their voices in faithful
chords that both captured the depths of their sorrow and wove visions of
a brighter day. At a time when dance floors were divided, rhythm and
blues and rock and roll helped bring us together. And as activists
marched for their civil rights, they faced hatred with song. Theirs was
a movement with a soundtrack--spirituals that fed their souls and
protest songs that sharpened their desire to right the great wrongs of
their time.
The influence of African-American artists resounds each day through
symphony halls, church sanctuaries, music studios, and vast arenas. It
fills us with inspiration and calls us to action. This month, as we
honor the history of African-American music, let it continue to give us
hope and carry us forward--as one people and one Nation.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2014 as African-
American Music Appreciation Month. I call upon public officials,
educators, and all the people of the United States to observe this month
with appropriate activities and programs that raise awareness and foster
appreciation of music that is composed, arranged, or performed by
African Americans.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of
May, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
eighth.
BARACK OBAMA